It's a Toss Up
by Sassy
Summary: Sequel to You're the One that I Want - Jasmine Ryans does what comes naturally to her when she's giving some alone time. She starts throwing things into the air. She's always loved doing this, since she was young. While juggling, she finds a long lost fri


**It's a Toss Up**

_A little while after the girls have left Tibbys_

After the unusual meal at Tibbys, Jasmine Ryans decided to go exploring the city. Before she left, she returned back to the house, and collected a small bag filled with different sized balls. Her favorite things to do was throw things up in the air, and catch them, just to see how high she can throw them, and still catch them. Her only concern was that the objects be unbreakable, and didn't make a whole lot of noise when it fell on the ground.

Walking downstairs, she yelled out to Ms. Martins, "I'm going to the park, Ms. Martins. I'll be back in time for practice."

"Alright, Jasmine. Have fun," Ms. Martins called from where ever she was.

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she left the house and headed into the city. The city amazed her. Jasmine was a small country girl, and whenever they were in big cities, she always had to look and see everything. Everything was such a wonder to her. She, originally, lived in a small town in Iowa, but when her school was burned down, four years ago, she was transferred to a bigger one in the city. At this high school, she learned about music, and about the orchestra.

The orchestra happened to be in her city that summer, and she tried out on the piano. The piano was the only instrument that she enjoyed and was any good at. Any of the other instruments she tried, didn't pan out with her. She always returned to the wonderful sounds of the piano.

After she had been walking through the city, she came to a lush green park. Her friends told her that this was Central Park, and it was the biggest in New York. Looking around, she walked through it as she enjoyed the wonderful sights. A few minutes later, she happened upon a childrens' section. There were children swarming all over the toys that were there.

Walking off to a far-off bench, Jasmine dumped all the balls on the ground, and threw the bag and the bench. Picking up a few of the balls, she started to throw and juggle them. This was something she did everyday, rain or shine. She would practice her juggling, and throwing. Mostly she practiced trying not to drop those things. It got pretty irritating when she couldn't keep those stupid things from falling to the ground.

She noticed that while she was juggling, a swarm of children came closer to her and watched her. It wasn't every day that they saw someone juggling in Central Park. So this was new for some of them. It was not new, but different for one newsie.

Dutchy was selling his papers in Central Park that afternoon. Most of the afternoon, he chose to sell in the park. He loved it there. It was so peaceful and quiet, and he usually sold all his papers at a decent time. He had just sold his last paper, and was walking through the park as he admired the scenery.

After a turn in the path, he came across the swarm of kids and saw they were watching a girl with black hair juggling some balls. He walked closer, still watching. Standing there, he continued to watch her as she did many tricks. Some of the tricks were ones that he hadn't seen.

During one of the tricks, when Dutchy thought she was finished, he started clapping. She hadn't been expecting anyone to clap yet, so she looked to see who it was. When she saw Dutchy, she forgot everything. He was someone who looked like her friend from home. Immediately, her hands stopped moving, and the balls fell to the ground.

Walking to her, he bent down and helped her pick them up. "I's sorry."

"That's alright. I should have kept a better hold on these stupid things," she commented.

"So ya like ta juggle?" He asked as she shoved the balls in her bag.

"Yeah, I started juggling when I was younger," she replied.

"I use ta know someone who liked ta juggle," he said, looking off into the distance. Almost as if he was thinking about something.

"Who was that?" She asked.

"Just a friend in Iowa," he replied.

"I'm from Iowa," she stated. "Maybe I know her.

"Jasmine Ryans."

Jasmine took a step back as he said her name. Now that he said her name, she knew who he was. Covering her mouth in wonder, she whispered, "Bryan?"

He turned his head sharply towards her, surprised. "How did ya know me name?"

Lowering her hand, she stammered a little, and said, "I'm Jasmine."

Stepping closer to her, he looked her over. She looked like a girl he knew from back home. The same black hair, and the same green eyes with the bright spark of life. Whispering, he said, "Jasmine?"

She nodded, and he smiled. Picking her up in a hug as he twirled her around. Coming to a stop, he blustered, "What are ya doing here?"

"I'm in an orchestra that's playing here for a while. We live right next to the distribution center," she told him.

"Next ta da center? Wasn't der a girl dat almost fell of da edge dis morning?"

"Yeah, that was Sally. She's fine now," she stated.

"It's good dat she wasn't hurt," he commented.

"Yeah, it was," she said.

Sitting down on the nearby bench, they started talking about old times and other times. They had missed each other a lot when he left Iowa. His parents died when he was young, and his relatives in New York sent for him. She never did hear what happened to him.

Then, they both heard chimes coming from somewhere. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out her pocket watch and looked at the time. Seeing the time, she frowned and put it in her pocket. Looking at Dutchy, she said, "I have to go. I'm late. I promised my director that I would be back for practice."

Looking away, he frowned about her leaving. He liked talking to her, and he had missed her when he had to leave. Smiling at her, he said, "Alright. Maybe I's can come see ya sometime. Since I knows where ya live."

"Yeah, come over sometime," she said with a smile.

Grabbing her bag, she stood up and ran away, towards the park entrance. Dutchy watched her leave, and sighed heavily. 'Boy, I missed her.' Standing up, he headed out of the park, as he walked towards the house.

******

"Jasmine, you're not concentrating," Ms Martins stated.

They were practicing a piece the group was going to perform at their first concert. It was a difficult piece, and there were a lot of sections to practice. This was a piece they had all chosen, and wanted to learn how to play it perfectly.

"What?" Jasmine muttered, looking up from her music.

"You're not concentrating," she repeated.

Sighing, she shifted in her seat, making the sheet music call on the floor, and looked at her teacher. Her teacher was a nice woman, who always listened to their students when they had problems. She was happy to help when she could, and if she couldn't, she found someone who could. 

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Did I ever tell you about my friend, Brian Watson?"

"Wasn't he the boy who left for New York, three years ago?" 

"Yeah," she said. Smiling, she blushed, and continued on, "Well, when I was at the park today, I saw him again."

"You did? That's wonderful," Ms. Martins gushed. "How did you know it was him? I'm sure you two have changed since the last time you saw each other."

"I didn't recognize him at first, but it wasn't until he mentioned having a friend in Iowa that I knew who he was. Brian has changed so much."

"How did he change?" she asked.

Jasmine told him how his hair color was now lighter, and his skin was darker. When she saw him, he was wearing glasses, and before he left, he hadn't been wearing any. It was the glasses that threw her off, since he hadn't had them before. 

"It's great that you found a friend for while we're here," Ms. Martins commented, looking out the window, saddened a little.

"What's wrong, Ms. Martins?" Jasmine asked.

Quickly, she looked away, and said, "Nothing's wrong, just thinking." Then to change the subject, she said, "Do you still have that costume in your room?"

"My fairy princess costume?" Jasmine inquired.

"Yeah."

"Should be," Jasmine stated. Kneading her eyebrows, she questioned, "Why do you ask?"

"Because we were invited to a masquerade party at Medda's for tonight. I think it would be fun."

"It does sound like fun. Isn't Medda's the place that we're going to be playing at?"

"Yeah," Ms. Martins answered. "She stopped by here before lunch, and invited us all. All the girls are going too. Are you?"

"Sure," she said, getting all excited. "I'll go. It sounds like it'll be a wonderful time."

Ms. Martins smiled at her, and then picked up the sheet music that had fallen, forgotten, on the floor. Placing it on the music stand, she pointed to it, and commented, "Why don't we work on this for a while? That way you can say that you at least you got some work done."

Jasmine started to giggle because they all knew that when she got excited, she got close to no work done. So she tried to settle down, and work on her piece of music. Only thing was that it was so frustrating when she had wonderful thoughts going through her head.

***_MANHATTAN HOUSE_***

Dutchy had just gotten back from the park and went upstairs. When he arrived, he heard laughter through the window, and he walked up and on the roof, and found David and Jack with two girls. They had their backs to him, so didn't see him, even when he was right behind them.

"What's so funny?"

They all jumped when he spoke, and looked back at him. Then Jack spouted, "Why do ya have ta scare people like dat?"

He smirked and said, "I don't know. It's just so much fun."

"Fun me hind end," Jack muttered.

"Who are des beautiful goils?" He asked, sitting down beside them.

Pointing to each girl, Jack introduced her to Dutchy. He smiled and kissed the hand of each one. Dutchy noticed that David bristled a little when he kissed the hand of Carrie. Smiling, he lowered her hand, and asked, "So whatcha doing up here?"

"Just talking about what wes gonna where ta da masquerade," Jack replied.

"What masquerade?" Dutchy asked, intrigued.

"Medda's having one at her theatre, and wants us all ta come," Jack explained.

"When is it?"

"Tonight," David answered.

"If I's gonna go, I's gotta get a costume," he commented.

As Dutchy was walking off to the fire escape, Jack called after him, "I think Kloppman said der was some costumes in da attic."

He waved his hand in answer, climbed down the ladder, and on into the bunkroom. Walking out into the hallway, he walked down it and headed up the creaky stairs to the attic. When he walked in, a cloud of dirt and mothballs hit him. Coughing, he walked over to a half-opened box, and started looking through it. 

Inside the box, there were piles of old clothing. Some of them were clothing that they had outgrown, and the rest were clothes that the girls had used for dress up. Occasionally, they had the guys okay too, so Dutchy knew what kind of costumes were in there. 

Digging through it, he found a black shirt and pair of pants. They were his size, so he decided to wear them. Digging even deeper, he found a beautiful, glittery cape and a phantom mask. He decided to go as his favorite character…..The Phantom of the Opera. He had loved that story while growing up.

Grabbing the outfit, then ran downstairs, and put it on his bunk.

***_THAT NIGHT_***

By the time Dutchy had arrived, the masquerade party was going nicely, and everyone was having fun. When he came in, he saw Jack was wearing a cowboy outfit, and David was dressed up at a detective. There were three girls talking to him, and he assumed that two of them were Sally and Carrie. They were wearing glittery outfits that looked like angels or something. Walking over to them, he said, "Hey everyone. I like yous outfits."

"Thanks, I like yours," Sally complimented. "I never would have thought about being the phantom."

"Neither did I," David and Jack said at the same time. When that happened, they all started laughing. It didn't happen that often, but when it did, it was funny.

"I found all dis in da attic. Nothing special," he commented, folding his cape back.

"Well, it suits you just the same," said the unknown person. It was a young lady in a silvery gown with glittery wings coming out her back. (Picture the costume from Ever After) She was the most beautiful lady he had ever seen. Smiling, he bowed and said, "Nice ta me ya, me lady."

She started giggling, and said, "The pleasure is mine, dear sir."

Everyone was cracking up at their show. By the time they were done, they were laughing too. Holding out his hand, Dutchy introduced himself, "I'se Dutchy."

She started giggling, and Dutchy wondered why. He got this weird look on his face, and through her laughter, she said, ""We're not going to play that game again, are we?"

He looked at her strangely, then asked, "What game?"

"Dutchy, don't you know who I am?" She asked. He shook his head, but was curious. Then she continued, "It's me, Jasmine."

He stepped back as he saw who it was. The woman, he had been making eyes at, was his best friend, Jasmine. It wasn't until he saw her, in that outfit that he realized how much she had changed. Everything was a lot…curvier than before. This was new for him. Surprised, he walked away.

When he ran off, Jasmine looked at her friends and wondered, 'What's wrong with him?' Picking up her skirt, she ran off after him. She found him in behind one of the scenery boards. Sitting down next to him, she touched his shoulder and felt him jump. "What's wrong, Dutchy?"

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"I don't think so," she stated. "You've never acted like this, except when something was wrong."

"It was only because I had seen how much you had changed," he admitted.

"That was your problem?" She questioned. She thought it had been something much more severe. 

"Yeah," he confirmed, turning to look at her.

"You've changed, too," she pointed out.

"No, I haven't. I's just plain, old, ordinary Dutchy," he sighed.

"Yes, you have. Your hair is a lot lighter than it was, and you have glasses. Those glasses look great on you," she explained. Then, softly, she said, "Actually, I think you look very handsome."

"You do?" He asked in surprise. She nodded.

"When I walked in, and saw ya, I thought you was beautiful. I was gonna ask ya ta dance, and since I saw ya, I wanted ta," he stopped for a second, collecting his courage. Then he said, "I wanted ta kiss ya."

"You did?" She asked, and he nodded. She smiled, and stated, "So what's stopping you?"

He grinned, and leaned over to kiss her. Jasmine wrapped her arms around him, and leaned into the pure blissfullness of the kiss. It was the most incredible thing that she had ever felt. When he pulled away from her, he was completely breathless, and so was she.

Then Sally and Carrie walked back, looking for Jasmine and Dutchy. "Oh, there you two are," Carried cried when they saw them. They looked up at them, surprised.

"What do you want?" Jasmine asked, standing up.

"We were wondering if you're coming back. You don't want to miss the whole night," Sally commented.

"No, no I wouldn't. You two go on, I'll be there in a few."

Carrie and Sally looked at each other, wondering what was going on, but they nodded and walked back. When they were gone, Jasmine sat back down and looked at Dutchy. Smiling, he stood up, held out his hand, and said, "May I have dis dance?"

Grinning, she said, "Yes, you may." Taking his hand, he led her out to the dance floor, and they started dancing. The music was heavenly, and it seemed like they floated on air. Finally, the night came to an end, and it was time to take off the masks. Even though they knew each other, it was still a surprise to see behind the masks.

Everyone started to leave not long after the revealing, and Dutchy wanted to walk Jasmine home. He found her talking to some of her friends, so he walked up to her, and asked her, "Can I walk ya home?

She nodded and they headed out.

******

Along the way the Jasmine's building, Jasmine and Dutchy pretty much just did small talk. The rest of the way, they went in silence. When they arrived at her stop, they said their good byes, and she started walking up the steps. Halfway up, Dutch stopped her and asked, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Stopping, she didn't react right away. Slowly, she turned around and looked at him, giving him a curious look. Walking down the steps, she slowly said, "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Well," he said as they sat down on the steps. "When I first saw ya, I remembered why I liked ya so much. You were so fun, and we always had so much fun. Der was always something fun and adventurous to do when you was around. However, when I saw ya in dis costume, dressed up so beautifully, I fell in love with ya. I couldn't help meself."

"I felt the same way, too," Jasmine said, taking his hand into hers. He was surprised when she did, but didn't take it away. "I liked the way your glasses, and hair, set off the features I still remember so well from home. You were always there for me when I needed someone. The caring, warm friendship, we had, was something I always treasured. When I realized that handsome phantom was you, I knew why I loved you."

"Why's dat?" He asked, looking into his eyes.

"Because I want someone who cares about his friends and family," she said, shooting closer to him, and lowering her head onto his shoulder. Looking into his eyes, she continued on, "You're willing to help someone if they're in trouble, and everyone knows that. That's why everyone loves you. I want that to be the same with us."

"But what about da orchestra? What happens with ya have ta leave?" He asked.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "How about we just take time we have, and make the best of it? Who knows, maybe by the time we're to leave, I might not want to leave."

"We'll see," he commented. Taking her in his lap, he wrapped his arms around her, and looked deep into her eyes, and smiled. He liked what he saw there, and he didn't want it taken away from him. Whispering, he asked, "I know you just got here and everything, but will you be mine?"

"Let's see," she playfully commented. "It's a toss up. Do I want to stay in Manhattan _alone_ or stay here with someone that loves me? Hmm, let me think about it." Moving her hands up and down like a scale, she decided, "Looks like you're stuck with me."

"There's nothing better I want," he commented.

"Great, now kiss me you fool," she ordered.

Obligingly, he pulled her closer and took her in. She was finally his, like he realized he wanted, and they both knew it. Their entire relationship may have been fast and in the air, but it was the most wonderful that ever happened in their lives.

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